Southwestern Community College says it will be postponing the demolition date of its Mayan Hall on campus.
The decision was made early Monday by school officials, stalling the take-down of the historic local performing arts center that has been home to endless amount of talented locals that have come out of the south bay.
Southwestern college did not reveal a reason as to why the school was postponing the demolition date, but it did announce that the destruction is imminent using a massive excavator that will be rolling into campus to complete the task.
This building was designed back in 1969 by architect George Foster, with the approach being linked to the architecture-style of the state's pre-European era. The architect is known for creating designs based on Mayan Modern style, which added a unique piece of history to the biggest community college in the south bay.
However, the schools says the building is outdated to continue to operate, and is also no longer considered needed or useful for the future of the campus and community overall.
This comes as the new Performing Arts Center opened its doors just last year in 2021, providing a new home for talented and creative locals to perform their crafts inside a modern-style designed theatre. This new building was designed by architect Tucker Sadler, who is known for also designing the San Diego Symphony's Rady Shell.
And although the school has created a new and more modern place for performing arts, the take-down of the historic Mayan Hall comes with a bittersweet taste for school officials who have seen the building lived through memorable moments over the decades.
“The demolition of the historical Mayan Hall is bittersweet,” said the school's Superintendent/President Dr. Mark Sanchez. “This stage developed and launched thousands of performers. The amazing work of our faculty, classified and management professionals brought to fruition thousands of performances and day-to-day teaching-learning for our students." he added.
The President of Southwestern College points to a remaking of a Broadway play as one of school's favorite memories throughout the existence of the Mayan Hall, but says that the new building will provide a modern and sophisticated touch to the growth of the school's campus.
